I'll give you a complete run-down of the party, I've had experience as a Rush Counselor (Rho Chi), Rushee, and Rusher.

You line up outside of the house until the Rho Chi says to go in. You walk into the house and you shake damn near everyones hand in the fraternity and your rush group (rush group will in total probably be about forty guys) sits in the middle of the room with the fraternity surrounding the walls. A speaker will say something like "Welcome to Rush", then everyone will say "how bout this fucking group" and clap for awhile. "How bout this fuckin group" is said at like every rush party for every fraternity about twenty times each party. Then someone will give a speech about history of the house how they party "harder than fuckin anyone", for about five-seven minutes. After they speak, they say "stand up and meet the guys" and then you awkwardly talk to other guys until the twenty minutes of the party are up*.

*After the first round substitute twenty for thirty minutes, and after the second round substitute twenty for an hour and a half.

By the way, these rush parties get rowdy as fuck. One house had a guy cut his wrists open accidentally when he smashed his hands through a glass door banging on it, he accidentally sprayed blood on a few of the rushees. Fraternity members will be like jumping into the crowd, pushing you and shoving you to get into the house. AGR enjoys revving up a chainsaw inside the house and throwing tvs out their windows while all the pledges are waiting outside. (oh and the guy who intentionally runs head-first into a wall every year) And cutting down ficus trees with weedeaters and stuff. I swear some of these houses scared the piss out of me as a rushee.

It depends on how you define "rush". And who you're talking about when you mean dry. The formal rush week (that is, these parties that I just mentioned above) is dry for rushees. Most fraternities (and the Rho Chis, really) are shitfaced. But you're sober.

If you mean the weeks running up to rush week, no none of the events are dry. For the first weeks up until formal rush week, you will be hammered (if you choose to) every night from going to random get togethers at the houses. Each house is alotted one party before rush (and it's usually an absolute blow out), but people are partying every night whether or not theres a registered party going on.

Is this a typo? - when you 1st came on GC you said you pledged at LSU and then transfered to Arkansas.

LSU has a formal rush, but there was no registration fee. The PNMs will have a Rho Chi and visit all 20 fraternities over 2 days for Round 1. For Round 2, they will accept a maximum of 6 invitations and in Round 3 they will accept a maximum of 3 invitations. After all the parties, they will submit their preferential rankings and pick up bids the following day.

^^I seem to remember some of EW's background being tongue-in-cheek. Or he purposely changed some of the details to avoid being identified by someone at his school.

A lot of schools have men's formal recruitment as an option. My school did it in the summer—guys would visit all the houses and narrow down from there. Some houses didn't participate past the first day if they already had their pledge classes (mostly) set. No quota.

^^I seem to remember some of EW's background being tongue-in-cheek. Or he purposely changed some of the details to avoid being identified by someone at his school.

When asked by a fraternity member from Arkansas what fraternity he was in, he said he was "A Kappa Sig from LSU that refuses to re-affiliate with shanes" (here). I don't know that I'd consider that tongue-in-cheek.

It doesn't actually "pay for a meal", the fraternities bring in food (sometimes catered, sometimes their own chef) during rush. The middle "party" (these aren't actually parties in the booze/women sense, but thats what they call 'em), you always eat there at the house. Some houses are famous for what they serve during the party. One has steak and sushi, while AGR (agri/social country fraternity) always does their famous catfish that all the Rho Chi's try to run to their house during the middle meal. Some rushees even intentionally keep AGR just so they can eat that meal.

I'd pay $100 for this even if I didn't plan on joining a Fraternity. Hell I would consider doing it all 4 years just for the food.

__________________
A fool and his money are soon elected. - Will Rogers

I had to pay $50 when i rushed last fall at my school they used it towards the up keeping (lights water etc.) of which ever house you end up going to.. which after you become a member and dont live in the house its like $150

Parlor fees and rush fees have nothing to do with each other. I seriously doubt the fraternities are holding rush just to pay their water bills.

Are you really worried about paying $100. Believe me buddy, being in an sec school, you will be paying much more than that during your pledging. And if you don't pay, then you'll be balled. A poor pledge is a worthless pledge.

__________________
"Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees."
-General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

Are you really worried about paying $100. Believe me buddy, being in an sec school, you will be paying much more than that during your pledging. And if you don't pay, then you'll be balled. A poor pledge is a worthless pledge.

Cosign.

If you think a one-time $100 fee is bad, then maybe you shouldn't join organizations that will cost anywhere from $2000-$5000 per semester.